Large turnout for Vancouver court appearance of man accused in Marrisa Shen's murder

Ibrahim Ali, who has been charged with the July 2017 first-degree murder of 13-year-old Marrisa Shen of Burnaby, made his first appearance in Vancouver Provincial Court on Friday. Dozens of Chinese Canadians showed up in court to support the victim's family.

Several dozen people showed up in court Friday for the first appearance of the man accused in the murder of 13-year-old Marrisa Shen.

The proceedings for Ibrahim Ali, who is charged with the first-degree murder of the Burnaby girl, were initially delayed to await the arrival of an Arabic interpreter.

When the interpreter arrived, Danny Markovitz, the accused’s lawyer, told Provincial Court Judge Harbans Dhillon that he’d just received a small package of Crown disclosure and requested an adjournment. The judge adjourned the matter over until Oct. 12.

Ibrahim Ali’s lawyer Danny Markowitz made a short statement after the court hearing. Syrian refugee Ibrahim Ali made his first court appearance on charges of first degree murder related to the killing of Marrisa Shen.Francis Georgian /
PNG

The accused, wearing an orange T-shirt and prison pants and sporting a beard, stood quietly in the prisoner’s dock with his hands behind his back during the appearance, which lasted only a few minutes.

The Vancouver courtroom was packed, mostly with people showing support for the victim’s family. It wasn’t clear whether the victim’s family were among them.

“We feel sorry for Marrisa Shen,” Wen Zhou, one of the supporters, said outside court before the court appearance.

“We feel sorry for her family. Marrisa Shen deserved to live much longer than now. We hope the murderer will be punished.”

A number of the supporters carried white flowers with them.

Also present outside the court was a small number of members of the Syrian community who carried signs saying, ‘Justice for Marrisa Shen.’

Members of the Syrian community have expressed sympathies for the victim’s family and concern that news about the accused, who is a Syrian refugee, might unfairly tarnish them.

Syrian refugee Ibrahim Ali made his first court appearance on charges of first degree murder related to the killing of Marrisa Shen.Francis Georgian /
PNG

Several people held a sign that said, “NO BAIL NO MORE VICTIMS”.

Other signs placed outside the courthouse at 222 Main Street read, “NO MORE KILLING NO MORE VICTIMS” and “Where is Justin Trudeau’s heart?”

Outside court, Markovitz said his heart “truly goes out” to the murder victim.

“I received particulars today and I haven’t had a chance to review them in any depth. I will review them but at this stage I cannot offer any comments except to again say we all feel horrible for that child.”

Asked by a reporter whether he had spoken to Ali’s family, he said he had and added that the accused’s family were “puzzled and they’re horrified by the allegations.”

Markovitz said that before the court appearance he had spoken to his client on the phone with the aid of an interpreter.

“He’s polite, following instructions and appears to be depressed about the situation he is in.”

Ali, who was arrested Sept. 7, has been in Canada for about 17 months, arriving in March 2017 with the joint sponsorship of a group of families on Bowen Island and the St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church.

According to reports in the Bowen Island Undercurrent, Ali arrived with two brothers, one of whom had a spouse and three young children. They joined a fourth brother who came to Canada as a government-sponsored refugee four years ago. The family was united and now lives in Burnaby.

The apartment where Ali lived is less than a 10-minute walk to Central Park, where the girl’s body was discovered, in a wooded area.

She’d been reported missing after she failed to return home. Police launched a search using GPS to track her phone.

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